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Reuben’s the sixth and final eliminated hopeful to attempt redemption on Star Salvation — but he’s got to go through Chad and Luca first. After being ousted for his struggles to command on camera, he must pursue this last-ditch effort to rejoin the competition. “I am so fortunate that I’m getting a second chance,” Reuben reflects. “I just want to show these people that I am that person you need on the network.”

Find out if Reuben makes it all the way. Click the play button on the video above to see the first part of the episode, then head over to Star Salvation headquarters to catch the second part.

Tune in to Food Network this Sunday to see who makes it back to the competition: Sunday, July 139|8c.

One week ago, eight Food Network Star finalists made their way to Knott’s Berry Farm for a live culinary demonstration. Everyone had their fair share of hiccups, but Christopher was the Charles Osborne of the bunch. With Christopher’s culinary chops stuck in Star Salvation, the gang awaits another challenge.

Your Very Own Product
Remember last year when Rodney made that pie kit out of a coat hanger and gaffer tape? It looked like a Mason jar and a sumo wrestler mated. That’s what I was hoping to see this year. Instead of pitching to supermarket execs, the gang is to make a commercial incorporating their POV. Because absolutely nothing is ever as it seems in Food Network Star, the gang will also shoot their commercials in front of a green screen, with a randomly selected location as their backdrop. Whose product will fly off the shelves? Who’s product will be in the bargain bin? Read on, Star fans.

Being a Food Network Star means not just hosting a television show, but building a brand indicative of a unique point of view, and Episode 6 was all about honing that perspective and the products that would support it. The seven remaining finalists had to create products and package them in this episode, but then they also had to sell them in commercials that forced them into oddball places — thanks to a special green screen.

If you haven’t yet watched the episode, don’t read any further. Star Talk is about to break down the ins and outs of the episode — and reveal who was sent home.

“I wish I didn’t hear the judges say I had the best dish. I knew I was going to be in the bottom. I didn’t handle the timing of my demos as well as I should have; looking back, I could have done better,” Christopher said in his exit interview. But what he didn’t know at that moment was that he was going to receive another chance at the competition in Star Salvation.

In his first attempt at Salvation, Christopher’s realistic about his chances at success, given his past struggles. “I’m hoping I get to cook again, because it’s the only thing I seem to do well,” he says. In Episode 5 of Star Salvation, he joins Chad and Luca, who seem to be leading the competition. Will Christopher be able to change that track record?

Watch Christopher battle for a chance at redemption on Star Salvation. Click the play button on the video above to see the first part of Episode 1, then head over to Star headquarters to catch the second part.

Remember that time the Food Network Star hopefuls had to make viral-marketing videos? I bet you are LOL-ing right now. That was last week, and with that episode we saw the elimination of Aryen, who could almost cut the mustard on camera, but had a dull blade in the culinary department.

After that so-bad-it’s-good challenge, the gang heads to Knott’s Berry Farm. Where there was once a patch of beautiful berries, there are now roller coasters and funnel cakes. With eight left, the once many-sided dice of elimination rolls closer to doom for the gang. Read on to see who got jammed and who was preserved in the Knott’s Berry Farm Corral.

Mentor Challenge: The finalists are to cook some real American dishes for the 4th of July.

Every week, Alton Brown is joining the Star Talk roster to talk about the most-recent elimination and the thoughts behind each difficult decision from the judges’ perspective.

As far as I’m concerned, this challenge got down to the nitty-gritty — the real skills required to do the actual job of being a Food Network Star. The finalists had an hour to concoct a crowd-pleasing dish based on a classic summer pairing. Then they had to demo that dish to a crowd of roughly 400 food fans. The food was as up and down as the rides at Knott’s Berry Farm. When it came to the demo, two finalists were clearly on the bottom: Reuben and Christopher.

“The elite eight,” Bobby dubs the finalists as they arrive at Knott’s Berry Farm, an all-American amusement park, for their first-ever live demo this week. The finalists are tasked with preparing a typical 4th of July feast (but matching it to their POVs), as well as presenting it to a live audience — 400 people to be exact.

If you haven’t yet watched the episode, don’t read any further. Star Talk is about to break down the ins and outs of the episode — and reveal who was sent home.

In an age where everything seems to be available online, Food Network Stars also have to have a presence on the Web — it’s a one-stop shop to talk with fans and share everyday activities, photos and Post-its.

This week’s episode of Star challenged the finalists with two different social tasks: Create a behind-the-scenes video on the set of Food Star Kitchen, and film a viral marketing video at YouTube Space LA. No stranger to vlogging and creating viral videos, Shay Carl was brought in to help guide the contestants. Shay certainly had the resume for the job. He is undoubtedly a very popular and successful YouTube personality, with five channels of his own (two of them with more than 1 million subscribers each).

We caught up with Shay on location at YouTube Space LA to chat about his time on Star.

Star Talk: What’s the one thing you really wanted to convey to the finalists?Shay Carl: See, I had to be really careful because the director told me that they have to be responsible for their own videos. So I couldn’t come in there and be like, “I think you guys should do this.” And I don’t want to do that (in case they get sent home and say, “Well that was Shay Carl’s idea!” So it was tough because I’m a very opinionated guy. I just wanted to steer them in the path that they were already going down, without influencing their decisions too much. I was just there to give some tips and tricks, and help them with their training wheels. Imagine they’re like a little child on a bike and this is their first YouTube round, and we’re going down the cul-de-sac and I’m like: “Yup, that’s good! You did it! Good job!”

While the joke of photographing food has come and gone, what remains is beautifully lit pictures of truly delicious dishes. And if the hipsters started the trend, the restaurants are doing it even better. Which makes sense, because who better to capture the essence of your favorite menu items than the team responsible for creating it? Even better, restaurant Instagram feeds provide amazing behind-the-scenes snaps of how your favorite food gets made. Here are 10 restaurants (well, eight, plus fantastic ice cream and coffee shops) that really up the food-photo game: Read more

A week ago we watched the culinary sabotages of Cutthroat Kitchen get the better of the remaining finalists. Fast-casual Kenny’s wonky breakfast parfait sent him to Star Salvation. On the other side of the spectrum of success, Christopher and Emma were scoring high marks for their Bloody Mary Pasta and ChocoBacoBurrataBomb, respectively. With nine finalists left, tensions are high.

Selfie Challenge

The gang gets hand-held cameras with the assignment of making a video incorporating their POV from their POV. The whole set is opened up to the contestants, and they can shoot what they please. Who will get the most “likes” from Chef Flay? Read on.

Nicole: The Star de la mar channels a surfer bro for the first half of her selfie, calling the kitchen “sick.” It was pretty refreshing to see her drop the “professional” shtick for a second, but a typhoon of “polish” wipes her out in the end.